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Our store on 24th
Street in the Noe Valley district of San Francisco has served
local customers and fans from all over the Bay Area since 1995 in
a compact, charming space with on-site baking and cake decorating
that truly fits the model of an old fashioned bakery.
The full line
of breads, pastries and cookies is also available at the Ferry Plaza
Farmers Market on Saturdays.
In keeping with
their philosophy of running a neighborhood bakery that is strongly
connected to their communities, Mary and Michael are active community
members and participate in a variety of charitable
events.
About
Mary Gaylord Gassen
Mary Gassen’s love of food and retailing started with a part-time
job in high school and was enhanced during college with work at
a local Williams-Sonoma store. It became such a dominating force
in her career, that in 1985, upon completion of a bachelor’s
degree in economics and business at Macalester College in St. Paul,
Minnesota, she headed west to attend the California Culinary Academy
in San Francisco. Mary, 41, joined Il Fornaio America in 1986, where
she combined her food preparation and business skills as a manager
of several Il Fornaio retail stores in greater Los Angeles. As a
managing partner, she was sent to open the Irvine Il Fornaio retail
store, where she met her future husband, Michael Gassen, who was
the wholesale bakery manager at the same location. Mary and Michael
left Il Fornaio to both broaden their food experience and return
to the Bay Area. Mary joined Barbara Tropp at China Moon Cafe, where
she managed marketing, bookkeeping and staffing for the restaurant.
Mary went on to become Administrative Director of the International
Association of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, where she served as
a member of its Board of Directors for three years. In February
1995, Mary and Michael opened the Noe Valley Bakery & Bread
Company, where Mary oversees the marketing, finance, staffing and
general administration of the business. Several days a week she
can also be seen working behind the bakery counter, so that she
can see firsthand what sells, what customers are asking for and
what needs improvement. “While it’s been exciting to see
the company grow, I don’t want the bakery to ever become so
large that I lose touch with the day to day experience of serving
our customers,” says Mary.
About Michael
Gassen
Michael Gassen, 40, is one of those rare individuals who knew what
he wanted to do at the age of 16, when he apprenticed at an Alameda
county bakery during high school. All through high school and college
he continued working in a variety of San Francisco Bay Area bakeries.
Upon leaving college in 1984, Michael joined his first large-scale
bakery, La Seine, where he learned how to produce large, consistent
quantities of virtually every type of baked good. During this time,
he discovered his true vocation as a bread baker and went to Acme
Bread Company in Berkeley to further his knowledge and experience.
From Acme, he was recruited by Il Fornaio America to open their
Orange County wholesale bakery facility in Irvine in 1992. This
assignment provided experience in designing a bakery from the blueprints
up, managing staffing and setting up the facility procedures and
processes that would serve him well in future positions. It was
here also, where he met his future wife, Mary Gaylord, who was working
for Il Fornaio as a managing partner in the retail division. Upon
meeting his commitment to Il Fornaio, Michael and Mary eagerly returned
to the Bay Area. Taking a position as Bakery Manager at Palio D’Asti
in San Francisco, Michael had the opportunity to put his knowledge
to the test in a small bakery concept. It was here that he also
began making what would become his signature specialty breads. In
1995, Michael and Mary decided to take the plunge and open their
own neighborhood bakery in Noe Valley of San Francisco. It is here
that they realized their passion for revitalizing the neighborhood,
artisanal bakery. Michael is an active member of the Bread Bakers
Guild of America and Food Runners, and has instructed at the California
Culinary Academy in San Francisco.
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